Discovery Channel has a new show called Double Agents that gives viewers a "fly-on-the-wall" look at what it's like to buy a home, an activity that most people are interested in, say the show's producers. And, in contrast to a lot of other media, the show promotes the use of Realtors as the means of finding a home.

"Real estate is it," says executive producer of Double Agents, Gaynelle Evans. "And our theme is 'Entertain your brain.' This series allows people to take a peek at all kinds of real estate and see themselves through the lens of buyers and their needs, as served by real estate agents."

Aired every weekday at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the Discovery Channel, Double Agents is hosted by international media star Jillian Hamilton, a property owner herself. The show records what happens when a buyer unit (singles, couples, or families) meets with two agents from the same brokerage firm. Each agent listens to the buyer's needs -- but does he or she hear the buyer the same way? That's the fun of the show -- how the agents use their different personalities, experience, market knowledge, and creativeness to get results.

Every half-hour show is different, with a new buyer, from horse farm operators who lost their lease to a gay couple trying to find a home in the seller's market of the Washington D.C. area.

The agents, chosen from local brokerage firms, know that they will be teaming on behalf of the buyer. However, the show stays out of their pocketbooks and lets the natural course of compensation be worked out between the buyers and brokers.

Explains Ben Uhm, the series' producer, the agents' competition and/or compensation isn't the focus of the show. "It isn't contrived reality," he says. "It is about the process of buying a house or condo, and we utilize natural pairings of agents. One agent might have good local knowledge, another might have good people skills. The two agents aren't always partners, but they are from the same office."

Some agents might be husband and wife, or father-daughters, but they always know that they are working for the buyer.

Watching two personalities race off to find the buyer a home is the stuff of fascination. One agent might suggest something completely different to the buyer than what the buyer thinks he or she wants -- like to build instead of buy an older home or to try a condo instead of a single-family property. One agent's strategy might be to show the home that least meets the buyer's criteria first, while the other agent might show the "best" home first.

"It is amazing how two agents bring out different sides and needs of buyers," marvels Evans.

What the show could mean to Realtors

In contrast to the less-than-positive way some media depicts real estate agents and the industry, Double Agents signals a refreshing change. The Realtors are the real heroes of the show.

According to the show's Webpage, the intent of Double Agents is to help buyers get an edge: "These days it's the quick or the dead in the world of real estate. Singles, couples and families need any edge they can get to grab the right place at the right time for the right price. In each show we'll meet a new buyer and give them the advantage over the competition by putting not one, but two agents on the case. We'll learn their different tricks of the trade, get their tips for buyers, and see inside some great houses along the way."

A visit to the Website shows that the buying advice offered by the producers is administered with liberal quotes from studies by the National Association of Realtors. While the advice is generic enough to apply to buyers without agents, nowhere does the site suggest that buyers try to buy a home without an agent.

Every show will feature an important buying tip, says Evans.

But none is more important than the powerful visual of watching a Realtor in action on behalf of a customer.

The industry should be appreciative, but some practitioners may worry that the show could encourage buyers to use multiple agents. In real life, real estate doesn't work that way for long. Three's a crowd, and most Realtors will dump a customer if they think they are being "two-timed" with another agent.

"We do make it clear this is an exception," says Evans. "It's not about competition, but we recognized that different personalities react differently, and that is the fun part. The buyer is fully aware he or she is working with two agents, and both the agents are aware of each other."

Adds Uhm, "With any new program there is a fear of the unknown. With the real estate industry, there has been a lot of cooperation from agents, and until they see the show, they won't know what it is about. It's not an adversarial series where the winner takes all. Having two agents allows us to simply cover more territory. If a deal comes through, it is a shared glory."

What the test audiences say

Test audiences have told the producers that they don't care which agents find the home for the buyer. The happy ending they want is for the buyer to buy a property.

"The viewer gets to experience the process through the buyer's eyes," says Uhm. "They can see how hard Realtors work. Most buyers see about 10 houses over seven weeks before they buy, but we have found that the agent who shows the left field inspires the buyer. The homebuyer learns a lot about himself."

"It is a lot of drama, and we are giving information as well as entertainment," says Evans.

Test audiences have also told the producers that they like the reality of the show, even if it is far from a typical reality show.

"Reality is what happens in real life," explains Uhm. "It's real people doing real things. We showed it to test audiences, and it was fresh, different, because it is natural -- not a sting in the toe."

Does every show end with the buyer closing the deal on the home of his/her dreams?

"Sometimes buyers change their minds, and decide to save a little longer, or relocate," explains Ulm.

"That's real life."

Published: October 21, 2003

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Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. For more articles by Blanche, click here.